Netanyahu Clearly Wins Election in Israel – Lapid Congratulates Firearms Case Against Rapper and Rihanna Friend Asap Rocky Delayed

Right-wing opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu has won Israel’s parliamentary election after all the votes have been counted. His right-wing religious camp secured a majority of 64 of the 120 seats in the parliament (Knesset), as several Israeli media reported unanimously on Thursday evening.

The 73-year-old’s Likud party became the strongest force with 32 seats in parliament. They are followed by Liberal Prime Minister Jair Lapid’s Future Party with 24 seats.

In the evening, Lapid congratulated his political opponent on the election victory. The state of Israel is above all political considerations, he wrote on Twitter after a phone call with Netanyahu. He wished him “good luck for the well-being of the Israeli people and the State of Israel”. He instructed all departments of the Prime Minister’s Office to prepare for an orderly transfer of power.

For the first time in Israel’s history, a far-right coalition reached third place. The religious Zionist party of Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir is considered the kingmaker for Netanyahu, winning 14 seats. The left-liberal Meretz Party and the Arab Balad Party just passed the 3.25 percent threshold.

On Tuesday, the people of Israel voted for the fifth time in just three and a half years on the composition of the Knesset. The turnout was still relatively high at 71.3 percent. The current eight-party coalition collapsed in June after losing its majority after just 12 months.

The official final result will be announced next Wednesday. President Izchak Herzog then has until November 16 to nominate a candidate to form a government. He has 28 days to do this, with a possible extension of another 14 days. (sda/dpa)